Snow Angels (JereJean)
by KuroganeNoFeari
Summary: Jean had never seen snow before, but he had never asked to join Jeremy in Canada for Christmas break. All he could see was white and cold, except for one ray of sunshine walking ahead of him. [Based on the prompt: "Jeremy and Jean playing in the snow: Jeremy's excitement about the snow warms Jean's heart, and they have a lovely time together."]


It all had started with Kevin, or maybe it was with Jeremy, but Kevin definitely had something to do with it. Even if Jean had never meant to spill the beans, Jeremy was far from being stupid, and he knew for sure that Kevin's broken hand hadn't been an accident. That meant Kevin had truly never been skiing, which meant that Jeremy had made it a point of honor to invite him and whoever wanted to join for a special winter week in Canada.

Obviously, at first the Exy addict had refused to let go of his racket and gears: Kevin "needed to practise" and "couldn't afford a day off", but after a few smiles and a promise to try and create a winter version of their favourite sport, Jeremy had managed to talk Kevin into going with him.

That's how Jean had ended up in Canada, bundled up in five layers of thick woollen clothes, his toes numb and his eyes tearing up as the wind kept blowing snow straight into his face. Ahead of him, Jeremy's deep steps traced a conspicuous trail that felt like a one-way ticket to freedom.

"Why does everything have to be so col-" Jean started after a long silence only broken by the discrete sound of falling snowflakes and snow crunching under footsteps. He never finished his sentence, though, nearly biting his tongue as a snowball the size of his fist struck his jaw.

Jeremy's laugh filled the air. "C'mon, Jean, stop being so gloomy!"

Standing a few steps farther, he was throwing and catching another snowball in his bare hands, unaffected by the icy touch. His pale eyes landed on his teammates' and a grin spread on his lips. And once again, Jean couldn't stay mad at that face - nobody could.

"It's Christmas break, let's have some fun! Don't you enjoy the snow?"

"It's co-"

"That's the point!" Jeremy cut him off again, throwing another snowball in the man's general direction.

It was Jean's first Christmas out of Castle Evermore and the team captain had firmly resolved to make it the best one, but first, he had to get Jean out of his shell -or in this case, out of his Raven's feathers. He had already planned it all: from the cosy chalets in the mountains to the presents stacked under the christmas tree in front of the fireplace. Kevin would join them in two days, along with Renee Walker, and together they would spend a week skiing and -drinking and- playing in the snow. Jeremy had already decided to teach snowboarding to the others. But first things first, Jeremy's main mission was to get that grumpy look off his friend's face.

Without letting him have a break and ignoring the loud protestations, he grabbed Jean's wrist and gently dragged him to the ground beside him. Then, Jeremy started to shape bricks in the snow and to place them in a circle, softly humming holiday themed songs.

"It'll be faster if you help me," he added without looking back. Jean could hear the grin in his voice and he could picture the exact face Jeremy was making just listening at the tone of his voice. "Trust me, it'll be warmer inside! I've built igloos all my life!"

Jean hesitated, but he eventually gave up to the other's contagious enthusiasm. After all, snow wasn't going to pierce through his gloves, right? -spoiler alert: it was, and the former Raven absolutely hated it.

It took them two and half hours to build a proper igloo, and almost twice that time to enhance it so that Jean could stand up in it. After almost five hours of hard work, arguments and complaints when Jeremy had had to sit on Jean's shoulders to put in the last bricks, the two of them managed to build an igloo the size of a small shack.

They were starting to warm up and Jeremy was busy making them a snowbuddy inside of the igloo when Jean spoke again.

"You know… it's the first time I've seen real snow," he started, and Jeremy raised his head to meet his gaze. Jean seemed lost in the past, both there and yet out of reach. Jeremy didn't dare move nor breathe, too afraid to break the spell. "It never snowed when I was in Marseille, and back with the Ravens, we didn't really have time to stop and watch it… We didn't have time at all, actually," he added with a joyless laugh.

Jean kept his eyes on the sliver of horizon he could spot through the entrance for a few minutes, until Jeremy started throwing small snowballs at him again. He was starting to think of it as a good strategy to keep Jean out of his dark thoughts.

"You're a Trojan, now. Leave the gloomy bird in the past," Jeremy told him, dead serious although he flashed the brightest smile Jean had ever seen. "This is a part of you you can't erase", Jeremy continued, leaning towards Jean to poke the number 3 tattooed on his cheekbone, "but you need to move on if you want to be happy. I'm not asking you to forget it, but to accept it, and to accept that it is over. You are one of us, and I'm not gonna let you down."

Whether it was the coldness of Jeremy's fingertip against his skin or his motivational speech that sent shivers down Jean's spine, he couldn't tell, but it definitely hadn't left him indifferent. Deep down, he knew that Jeremy was right, and this only thought lifted a weight from his chest. He was _allowed_ to be okay. He knew that recovering would take time, and that he would probably never heal completely from what he had experienced in the Nest, but a starting point was always a good thing to begin with.

After what felt like an eternity, Jean nodded and glanced at his captain and friend.

"I'm kinda getting sick of your habit of throwing snow at me," he declared with a smirk that made something shine into Jeremy's eyes. "Let's go outside, I'm gonna get revenge. Someone needs to knock some sense into your head."

"Oh, you think you can beat me at my own game, Moreau?"

A flame Jeremy had never seen flickered in Jean's eyes when he replied, mischievous. "Anytime."

The sun was already beginning to set, but they couldn't care less, and the excitement of the moment was too strong for them to postpone their battle. Jeremy's shots were more accurate, but Jean's were more powerful, and he eventually managed to make the other beg for mercy.

" _Pourparlers!_ " Jeremy croaked, half laughing, but it was enough to make Jean stop still.

"What? What did you say?"

" _Pourparlers!_ " the captain repeated with a huge grin, proud of the effect the ace he had just pulled out had on his friend.

"You can speak French?" Jean asked, aghast. He was starting to see the other in a brand new way. He had always known that Jeremy was resourceful, but not to this extent.

"I know a few chosen words," the other answered enigmatically, holding his hand out for Jean to help him up.

Unfortunately, it was already too late when Jean understood that he had been tricked, and he hit the ground face first, swallowing snow in the process. He heard Jeremy's laugh over his coughing and extended his arm to push him into the snow as well, which doubled the other's laugh even more.

When he finally managed to get on his knees, Jean's mind blacked out and his breath was briefly taken away by the view that was offered to him. Jeremy was laying in the snow, his eyes shut, a peaceful smile resting on his lips. His tan skin looked like it was radiating against the pure white snow, and his hair was dotted with snowflakes.

Slowly, Jeremy started moving his arms and legs back and forth in the snow until it traced a smooth drawing, his eyelids still closed and his smile wider and wider - he knew that Jean was watching him.

"I bet I can make a better snow angel than you!" Jeremy challenged him, finally opening his eyes and locking them with Jean's. His gaze was fond and sparkling and it made something flicker in Jean's chest.

With the wings spread around him, the soft light of the winter night shining down on his skin and the grin on his face, Jean had absolutely no doubt that he was right.


End file.
